Dental bridge cost: the false tooth and the two crowns that hold it
Pick a state and your coverage: the estimator adds the three units of a fixed bridge and shows what a dental plan leaves to you.
You pay for bridge, three units in New York
$1,538
$3,026 billed, $1,488 paid by the plan.
| Estimated dentist charge (full fee) | $6,145 |
| Estimated in-network price | $3,026 |
| Plan pays (50 % after deductible) | $1,488 |
| Deductible | $50 |
| New York Medicaid fee, same codes (2024) | $1,414 |
Estimate: New York Medicaid fee ÷ 26.1 % (Medicaid pay as a share of dentists' charges, ADA HPI 2024). Brought to September 2026 with the dental services price index (BLS). Not a quote.
| CDT code | Service | Count | Medicaid fee, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| D6240 | Pontic (the false tooth) | 1 | $404 |
| D6750 | Retainer crowns on the two neighbors | 2 | $505 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · How prices are estimated · state Medicaid fee schedules, ADA ratios of 2024, BLS dental price index · not a quote
A fixed bridge that replaces one missing tooth is billed as three units: the false tooth in the gap, called a pontic (code D6240 or D6245), and a crown on each neighboring tooth to hold it, called a retainer (D6750, D6740 or D6790). The three together are estimated at a median $5,020 in September 2026 dollars before insurance, from $3,706 in Alabama to $8,345 in Minnesota, in the 9 states whose Medicaid fee schedules list a pontic and a retainer crown. That is roughly $1,673 a unit. The price a private plan allows its network dentists is lower, about $3,026. Bridges count as major work in most plans: with the Covered California 2026 example plan, which pays 50 % after a $50 deductible up to $1,500 a year, the plan pays $1,488 of that network price and the patient pays $1,538.
Three units on one bill
A bridge is priced by the unit, and the units are not all alike. The pontic is the replacement tooth; it sits on the gum and is held by the two crowns cemented on the teeth at each end of the gap. Those two teeth are reshaped to receive their crowns, which is why a bridge for one missing tooth involves three teeth. Longer bridges, for two or more missing teeth in a row, add one pontic per tooth and sometimes more retainers. The estimator prices the common case of three units.
The codes tell the material. D6240 is a pontic of porcelain fused to a high noble metal and D6245 a porcelain or ceramic pontic; D6750 is a retainer crown of porcelain fused to high noble metal, D6740 a porcelain or ceramic retainer and D6790 a full cast high noble one. Each state's schedule lists some of these, and the first one listed in each slot is used.
| Unit | Codes accepted | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Pontic (false tooth) | D6240 or D6245 | 1 |
| Retainer crown | D6750, D6740 or D6790 | 2 |
Where a bridge can be priced
The estimate divides what a state's Medicaid program paid for each code on July 1, 2024 by that state's ratio between Medicaid pay and dentists' charges, measured by the ADA Health Policy Institute, then carries the result to September 2026 with the federal price index for dental services. It needs a fee for every unit. Fixed bridges are absent from many Medicaid schedules, especially where adults have limited dental benefits, so the list of priced states is short: Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York and Virginia. The state comparison shows every procedure each schedule allows us to price.
A three-unit bridge across the priced states
Bridge, three units: median of 9 states, full fee
$5,020
| Highest: Minnesota | $8,345 |
| Median | $5,020 |
| Lowest: Alabama | $3,706 |
A crown on a natural tooth, the same work as one retainer, is priced in more states: its median is $1,713 across 18. Comparing that figure with a third of the bridge price is a quick check of a quote: the retainers of a bridge cost about what single crowns cost, and the pontic usually a little less.
What a plan pays on a bridge
Plans group bridges with crowns, dentures and implants as major services. The Covered California 2026 adult plan used as the default on this site lists prosthodontics among its major services and pays 50 % of them after the deductible. On the median network price of $3,026, the yearly maximum of $1,500 is not reached, and the plan pays $1,488. The annual maximum page shows when a larger treatment would hit the cap.
New members often meet a waiting period for major work; the example plan has 6 months, waived with proof of earlier coverage. Some plans also refuse to replace a tooth lost before the coverage began. Out of network, the plan pays its share of its own allowance and the office may bill the gap up to its full fee, which the estimator adds when you choose that option.
Your share of a bridge, in your state and plan
You pay for bridge, three units in New York
$1,538
| Estimated dentist charge (full fee) | $6,145 |
| Estimated in-network price | $3,026 |
| Plan pays (50 % after deductible) | $1,488 |
| Deductible | $50 |
A bridge, an implant or a partial denture: the bills
The same gap can be filled in other ways, and each has its own price. A removable partial denture with a metal framework, priced in 19 states, has a median of $2,318 for one arch. A single implant with its crown is priced in fewer states, because most Medicaid schedules do not list it. The implant or bridge page puts the two bills side by side for one state and one plan. Which option suits a given mouth is a clinical question for a dentist, who looks at the neighboring teeth, the gum and the bone; this site compares the prices only.
Checking a quote
Ask the office for the codes. A quote that lists one pontic and two retainers can be compared unit by unit with the estimate for your state; a large gap usually comes from extra work, such as a core buildup on a retainer tooth, a root canal or a temporary bridge, each billed on its own. Prices are higher in large cities and vary with the lab and the material. To spread the cost, the financing page shows what a card or a loan adds.